Authorities are currently in pursuit of two individuals believed to be involved in the brutal murder of a 52-year-old woman whose body was discovered concealed in a duffel bag within her deceased mother’s luxurious Manhattan residence last week, as stated by law enforcement officials on Thursday.
The victim, identified as Nadia Vitel, reportedly encountered the assailants while she was preparing her late mother’s 19th-floor apartment on East 31st Street for the occupancy of a family friend upon her recent arrival from Spain. According to police, Vitel was subjected to a vicious assault by the perpetrators upon discovering them unlawfully occupying the premises.
“We believe that some squatters took the apartment over and this woman came home … and walked in on the squatters that were there,” stated NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
The suspects, whose identities have not been disclosed by the NYPD, were captured on surveillance footage fleeing the scene following the murder, absconding in the victim’s Lexus SUV. Their escape led them across state lines, culminating in a crash in Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania.
Despite the occurrence of the incident, authorities were not notified until the subsequent day, as Pennsylvania law enforcement officials did not promptly run the license plates to ascertain the vehicle’s connection to a homicide, explained Kenny.
The fugitives, who are still at large as of Thursday, reportedly attempted to procure a new vehicle for $1,000 from various local car dealerships subsequent to the collision.
These developments transpired subsequent to the grim discovery made by Vitel’s 19-year-old son, Michael Medvedev, who stumbled upon his mother’s lifeless body inside the apartment with the assistance of the building’s superintendent after being unable to contact her for 48 hours.
“As they’re getting ready to leave, the son opens up the closet door near the front door and discovers the duffel bag with a foot sticking out,” recounted Kenny.
The duration of time the perpetrators had been occupying the apartment prior to Vitel’s encounter with them remains unclear, as does the method by which they gained entry into the premises.
“The apartment itself is very unique in that there’s no front door to the apartment. You take an elevator up and then you key your way in. The elevator is actually your front door,” explained Kenny, emphasizing the upscale nature of the residence.
Although the identities of the two suspects have not been divulged by law enforcement, insider sources have previously described them as a man and woman in their twenties.
“As of right now, we have probable cause, we have two subjects, we have the Regional Fugitive Task Force actively hunting as we speak,” asserted Kenny, noting that one of the squatters has a prior arrest record.
